Stitch-separating machine.



J. H. BUSHING.

STITCH SEPARATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2. 1916 In verdan- Patented June 12,

Z f M! JAMES H. GUST-TING, OF SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STITCH-SEPARATING MACHINE.

Application filed October 2, 1916. Serial No. 123,321.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. CUsHINo, a citizen of the United States, residing at South "Weymouth, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stitch-Separating Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to stitch separating machines, which are now commonly used in the manufacture of boots and shoes to indent the intervals between the stitches appearing upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of the sole, or to shape the crowns of the stitches.

It has been discovered in using the commercial machine, which in its general features of construction isbuilt in accordance with Letters Patent of the United States to John B. Hadaway No. 543,012, granted July 23, 1895, that on the return stroke of the feed slide there is some danger of the tool being deflected from its vertical position by.

reason of contact with the shoe, or a slipping of the friction due to vibration of the machine, or possibly some other cause. The vertical position of the tool should be maintained as a deflection interferes with its proper operation in finding the stitch interval before the feed movement takes place, and also interferes with the feeding stroke.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the defect just adverted to. accordance with this object it is contemplated to provide the tool-stock with a steadying or locking device which will prevent an accidental deflection of the tool from its vertical position while on its return stroke after the feed has taken place.

To the accomplishment of the above object, and such'others as may hereafter appear as will be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description,

the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred form of the invention 1s as improved by the later Hadaway Patents No. 719,58d, February 3, 1903, and No. 933,174c, September 7, 1909, the parts being shown in the positions which they assume at the end of the feeding stroke of the tool and aftder the tool has been raised from the shoe, an

- Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the parts with the tool just entered in the work at the commencement of a feeding stroke.

' In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings no material change has been made in the general construction and mode of operation of the machine illustrated in the patents hereinbefore referred to. The lower work support 2 with its operating mechanism including the locking lever 3; the feed-slide 4 with its operating lever and actuating cam; the presser lever 5 with its operating cam 6; the upper work support 7; the tool-stock 8 with its friction and tool-carrying lever 9 actuated by the spring 10 and trip-lever 1 1; and all driven through the pulley 12 and its shaft; all may be and preferably are substantially the same as illustrated and described in said patents.

- Referring now to the new feature, that is, the mechanism employed to lock the indenting tool 13 in its vertical position on rising from the shoe after the feeding stroke so as to maintain it in this position during the return stroke of the feed slide 4, two new parts 14: and 15 are employed. The part let comprises a plate, provided with an angular recess 16 (Fig. 2) in its edge toward the tool, mounted on the upper end of a bracket 17 carried on'the forward end of the pivot 18 for the tool-stock operating lever 9. The bracket 17 has a tail piece 19 which carries an adjusting screw 20 threaded into the feed-slide. The plate 14:, then, maintains a fixed position throughout the operation of the machine and is carried back and forth with the lever 9 by the movement of the feed-slide. The other new part 15 comprises a plate, provided with an angular tongue 21 (Fig. 1) on its edge toward the plate 14 Patented June 12, 1917.-

shaped to snugly fit the recess 16, mounted on the upper side of the swinging tool-stock 8. The plate 15, then, has no fixed position but partakes of the angular movements of the tool-stock about its pivot 22 on the lever 9, when the tool 13 is finding the intervals between the stitches.

In operation the plates .1 1 and 15 have the following cooperative action: Referring to Fig. 2 which shows the tool 18 finding a stitch interval, the trip-lever ll releases the tool-stock supporting lever 9 and permits the spring 10 to carry the tool toward the shoe. The tool-stock swings downward about the pivot 18, which movement carries the tongue 21 out of the recess 16 where it has been resting, in which connection it will be noted that both the recess and tongue are formed with one angular or oblique side to permit of their being engaged and disengaged by a movement about the pivot 18. After the indenting tool has found the stitch interval, the indentation is made by an operation of the presser-lever 5. The feed slide 4: then moves to the left to carry the shoe forward, after which the trip-lever 11 operates to raise the tool-stock and tool from the shoe preparatory to the movement of the feed slide to the right and a repetition of the operation just described.

Thosesk-illedin the art are aware that the tool should be vertical, or normal to the surface of' the shoe on which it operates, when it descends to find the stitch interval, but if it is not directly over a stitch interval the friction bywhich the tool-stock isheld permitsit to be. deflected and find the interval. In practice, when the presser-lever 5 operatesthe tool is'more often than not in. an oblique positionrelative to the shoe. described in. said patents hereinbefore mentioned,the presserlever is so constructed and its operation is such that the tool is brought to a vertical position before the feed is completed and is in such position when the triplever 11 operates to raise the tool-stock and tool from the shoe.

The function of the. plates 14 and 15 is to maintain this vertical position of the tool until the trip-lever 11 again releasesthe lever 9 to the influence of the spring 10. As the tool-stock rises, with the lever 9responsive to the pressure thereon of. the trip-lever the movement of thetool-stock to the left about the pivot 18 causes the plate 15 to con tact with the fixed plate 14:. When the lever 9has reached the limit of its movement to the left the tongue 21 on the plate 15 hastive to the work. The two plates'remain in ing tool about its pivot on the tool-carrying lever, during the return movement of the feed-slide,'is prevented and the correct position of the tool to correctly find the next. stitch interval and properly indent such interval is assured.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is

1. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, an automatically adjustable indenting-tool, means. for actuating the tool to indent the work, and means for invariably presenting the tool to the work in a single, predetermined position prior to its indenting stroke whatever its position relative to the work may be at other times in the cycle of operations.

2. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a work support, a vertically and angularly movable indenting tool, meansfor actuating the tool to indent and feed the work, and means for preventingangular movement of the tool on its return after the feeding-movement.

3. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a work support, a vertically and angularly movable indenting tool, means for actuating the tool to indent andfeed the work, means for positioning the tool substantially normal to thework at the completion of the feeding'movemenfl and means for maintaining such position during-its return to indenting position.

4:. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, an automatically adjustable indenting tool, actuating means therefor to provide forfinding and indenting the stitch intervals, and means for setting the tool in a single, predetermined position prior to each operation of said actuating means.

5. A stitch-separatingmachine, having, in combination, a work support, means for indenting the stitch intervals and for feeding the work across the work support including an indenting tool movable both vertically and angularly, means permitting angular. movement of thetool in finding the stitch intervals, and means for.temporarilylockingthe tool in a position normal to the work between each stitch-interval-finding and indenting operation. i

6. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a. work support, a vertically and angularly movable tool-stock, an indenting tool in said tool-stock normally held in a vertical position relative to the Work, means permitting the tool to be moved both vertically and angularly in finding a stitch interval, and means for temporarily locking the tool in its normal position on its With-, drawal from the Work.

7 A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a Work support, means for feeding and operating on the Work including an indenting tool, a vertically and angularly movable tool-stock for said tool, a part bearing a fixed relation to said tool-stock, and a second part on the tool-stock adapted to engage said fixed part as the tool moves away from the Work support and lock the tool-stock against angular movement With the tool in a position normal to the Work.

8. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a Work support, a vertically and angularly movable tool-stock, an indenting tool sustained in said tool-stock, means for actuating the tool to indent and feed the Work, a plate having a recess in its edge toward the tool-stock bearing a fixed relation to said tool-stock, and a second plate carried by the tool-stock having a tongue adapted to engage in said recess on completion of the feeding movement and hold the toolstock from angular movement While returning to its indenting position.

JAMES H. CUSHING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

